Master's Thesis Guidelines

If you plan to do a thesis as part of your graduate degree, there are a number of steps that you must take regardless of your discipline. These steps are part of a venerable university process by which students prepare original work and then undergo an exam of the work before a panel of faculty and experts in the field.

YOUR THESIS COMMITTEE

The committee generally consists of your major advisor and other faculty members from your department. Minimally, the committee must include three people, and all committee members must be appointed to the Graduate Faculty; additionally, the chair of the committee must be a regular member of the Graduate Faculty.  Contact Jill Hutchison at 303-556-2646 if you are unsure a potential committee member has a Graduate Faculty appointment.

Your faculty advisor can help you identify and recruit an appropriate thesis committee. Our best advice on this subject: Start early in your thesis process and involve your committee members when you have questions or concerns about your research.

THESIS PREPARATION

Click here to obtain a copy of “Guidelines for Preparing Masters’ and Doctoral Theses”.

THE PROCESS OF SUBMITTING A THESIS

In the semester in which a student intends to submit the thesis for examination, he/she must first submit the Intent to Graduate online as well as an Application for Admission to Candidacy (PDF form). This initiates a process of determining if the student has met all of the other requirements for the degree, and is eligible to submit a thesis.

The completed thesis itself is then submitted for a format review. This review ensures that the material is presented in a readable format that is consistent with the standards of the university. The student then submits a Request for Examination form, which publicly announces the exam or defense for all interested parties.

At the exam or defense, the student may be asked to revise or add to the thesis before it is approved. The revised thesis is then submitted to the examination committee for final approval, and then copies are handed in to the Graduate School (LW 300). These copies are permanently kept in the library as a resource for other scholars in the field.

THESIS SUBMISSION

Questions concerning matters not discussed in this document must be directed to the thesis committee chairperson. Theses must be reviewed by the Graduate School for format before the final examination or defense. Once the thesis is signed by the appropriate faculty committee, submit three reproduced or original copies of the thesis, two on thesis bond and one on regular paper. The University keeps all three of these copies. You may also order additional copies at this time. The binding fee is due and payable when the thesis is submitted to the Graduate School. Since fees are subject to change, contact the Graduate School for current fees.

Click here for Thesis Submission Deadlines and other deadlines as you prepare to graduate.

THE THESIS EXAMINATION

The exam consists of a public presentation and defense of the work. The tradition calls for the following steps to be completed:

• Your thesis committee greets you, and then sends you out of the room while the chair of your committee discusses the thesis, asks if there are any particular concerns, and establishes the particular procedure for the conduct of the examination.
• After, you are invited to reenter the examination room, the chair will invite you to provide a formal presentation of your research, which should generally not exceed 30 minutes in length.
• After your presentation, the committee will ask you questions about the thesis, work related to it, and perhaps general questions about theory, method, and practical implications of the research.
• When questioning is completed, you will be asked to leave the room again so that your committee may discuss the defense, and decide on whether to give you a pass or fail.
• A "pass" may take many forms, including a request for revision that must be approved by the full committee, or simply a request that revisions be reviewed by the chair.

Registration required to defend thesis

Students must be registered during the semester of their thesis defense (this also applies to students working on IPs or Incompletes). Registration for submitting only the thesis is not required if the defense was held in a previous semester. A student who wishes to schedule a defense between summer and fall, or fall and spring, semesters may use the previous or the following semester’s registration to meet this requirement. For the purpose of this registration requirement, a new semester begins on the first day of instruction for that semester. (NOTE: Summer session is considered a separate semester and begins with the start of Maymester, so there is no longer any time to defend between spring and summer.)

Use the UC Denver Special Processing Form (PDF from the Registrar's site). This form is also needed to register for Candidate for Degree when online registration deadline has passed.

Instructor/graduate advisor and dean's signature approvals are required. Go to the CLAS Dean’s Office (North Classroom 5014) for the signature of the CLAS Graduate Associate Dean. CLAS will keep one copy and return the original to you to turn in to Records.

Research Protocol

Human Subjects

The UCD Human Subject Research Committee (HSRC) is responsible for reviewing and overseeing human subject research conducted at the University of Colorado, Denver Campus.

Legal requirements to protect human subjects apply to a much broader range than many researchers realize and applying the regulations is not always a straightforward process. In light of this difficulty and the potential consequences of noncompliance, researchers are advised to consult with HSRC when uncertain whether the activity is considered human subject research. 

Students contemplating the use of human subjects in their research (includes surveys, interviews, and/or any kind of information obtained by using persons as test subjects) must submit review forms and obtain approval from the HSRC before beginning such research.  Guidelines are available from the Human Subject Research Committee online at http://comirbweb.uchsc.edu/hsrc/

If you have questions about the process or would like help completing the forms, HSRC administrative staff are available Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room 300 of the Lawrence Street Building. The phone number is 303-315-2732.

Otherwise you can contact the following individuals:
            Cindy Kaufman, Coordinator, 303 724 1935 [cindy.kaufman@uchsc.edu]
            Yvonne Keller-Guenther, Exempt/Expedited Reviewer, 303 724 1551                [yvonne.kellar-guenther@uchsc.edu]
            Alison Lakin, Director, 303 724 1058 [alison.lakin@uchsc.edu]
            Tony Robinson, Chair, 303 556 2746 [tony.robinson@ucdenver.edu]

Request for Exempt or Expedited review can be submitted at any time.
Protocols requiring full board review should be submitted by the first day of each month.

Animal Subjects

Students doing research that uses animals in any form must have their research protocol approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee.

Links to the guidelines and forms are available on the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee Web site.